Samsung Galaxy S24 vs S24+ vs S24 Ultra (Don't Waste $500)

Samsung's latest flagship lineup ranges in price by $500 but they all share similar specs. So what are the compromises and is the S24 better than the S24+ or S24 Ultra?

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Additional review notes:
Galaxy S24 vs S24+

Display - out of the box, they have the same resolution
FHD+ vs QHD

Ultra has QHD as well and all are flat

6.8” vs 6.7” vs 6.2” display - but boxy corner gives Ultra more real estate

Same 120Hz and same peak brightness 2600 nits
Bezels look different

One hand test
boxy edges make reaching easier

Same 4 colors + online exclusive colors linked below - I have a link below that will give you an enhanced trade in credit and double the storage for free

Titanium vs Aluminum
Glass = Victus 2 vs Victus 2 on back and Gorilla Armor on front (75% reflection reduction)

All have the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor, but depending on the region, the 24 & 24+ will have the Exynos 2400 chip sadly

Same AI features

weight = 5.93oz vs 6.24oz vs 8.22oz

45W charging vs 25W charging

12GB vs 8GB RAM (run a test to show the difference)
More storage - 256/512 vs 256/128 vs 256/512/1tb

Camera test
All have 12MP front, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP 3x
200MP vs 50MP wide angle
Bonus - 50MP 5x
Macro?

Battery test (5000 vs 4900 vs 4000mAh)

Wifi 7 vs 6E
S24 lacks UWB

All have 7 years of updates
All have the same AI software features like real time call translation, circle to search, photo editing, chat enhancement, and summarizing

Price = $799 vs $999 vs $1299

Power users will want the s-pen and superior cameras. I certainly do.

Between the + and regular models
I think most users will not notice the increase in resolution
I think most users will not notice the extra ram
Faster charging is great, but I typically charge on a wireless stand overnight, so these are identical in that regard
I would personally prefer a more one handed phone, so I think the S24 might be the move here
The 24 is still a meaningful jump in performance and quality over the 23 FE but I will make a comparison video with that in the future.

unless you want the larger display for media or multitasking, or if you really expect to use the extra ram and faster charging

[jvillan]

I wish samsung would make an ultra mini version... I want the bells and whistles in a smaller frame.

[vincentmcgaw]

A very down to earth review taking into account how people typically will use them and pointing out what really matters to the majority of users..keeping it real...well done.

[jdneilso]

I always go with the smallest one. It's not about price. I don't ever use a stylus and I like a smaller phone.

[calvee]

I have a better title. "Don't waste $1300 and keep using your current phone that is 99.99% as good as the current phone."

[ezenwajoseph]

That anti reflective technology on the S24 Ultra is insane, can't wait to test it in person

[KarlenBell]

My S9 was still going strong last year, but this year the battery was draining to 0% every 8 hours. 5+ years ago, I bought my S9 for $700, but surprised to see S24 only costing $100 more! Definitely going to miss the rear fingerprint scanner, aux port, RGB notification lights, and expandable storage. Hope the S24 can last to 7 years like you mentioned.

[Alfadrottning]

one thing abouit the ultra glass - according to a first test that i saw

the glass scratches at a lvl 7 - with deeper groves at a level 8 .. which is a HUGE step towards sapphire or even a transparent aluminium display hardness. No more micro abrasions. For me, this is a clear winner and a huge argument for the ultra

[ethanpenn]

Hey, another video that reviews the parts that actually matter instead of just reading spec sheets! Thank you as always for your videos that are from the perspective of somebody who actually uses phones instead of somebody who just looks at them.

[jensenperalta]

I used to love big phones, then tried to use the regular size S series and it made my life easier. upgrading from s22 to s24🎉

[AWritersHusband]

Thanks for listing all of the differences that aren't on the spec sheet. Especially between the S24 & the S24+. The differences are small, but I find myself holding on to phones longer and longer because the upgrades aren't substantial. The small differences may be a bigger deal in 3 to 7 years when I upgrade again, so having the info makes a difference.

[manofsesame]

Remember few years back the Exynox chip models generated heat a lot quicker than the SnapDragon models while performing the same. The heating problem on Exynox however was no longer a noticeable problem after a couple of software updates. Not sure if the new Exynox models would have the heating problem again

[Katxune]

I'm not one to upgrade my phones year to year. My current phone is the Note 8. Im very happy that this lineup will get 7 years of support since some features has been disabled on my note 8 due to the software being out of date!

[itsblack]

Currently have a note 10 plus, upgraded to the S24 plus and it should be coming in the mail today or over the weekend. I'm looking forward to enjoying it

[AK-bfmh]

I have the S21 EU Exynos 2100 version for almost 3 years and I haven't experienced any slowdowns during regular use. I mainly use my phone for work-related applications and browsing, and everything runs smoothly. While there hasn't been a significant upgrade in the last few generations, there are two features I would like from the Ultra version - a better battery and an anti-reflective screen.

[Lansky]

The only real upgrade that I truly respect is the anti-reflective technology. I think that's a real life game changer

[TheLazyGenius]

I really appreciate your comparison of these devices. I've had phablet sized devices for 14 years starting with the Dell Streak back in 2010 and I DO love the screen real estate but currently I am starting to tire of it a tiny bit. Big phones are cool but I kind of want to go back to basics with a smaller device. I am worried tthe smaller battery on the S24 is a problem and I've had my eyes on the Plus but you've reassured me. I definitely want to take it for a spin. Thank you Mike.

[AssassinsFear]

I think the plus having faster charging, larger battery, ability to have larger res and more storage standard makes it the best pick. Also that bump in ram helps in dex mode turning the plus into a pretty nice desktop

[Chris.Davies]

I got my S24+ in Seoul, and so I got the ARMv8. :)
This thing is an absolute beast. Nothing slows it down.
But be warned, the first few days you have an S24, you will think that maybe you got a defective product, because the phone gets so hot at random times. I was quite worried the 3rd or 4th time I picked it up, and it was like it has been sitting in the sun, baking for 10 minutes. Like worryingly hot.
And then it simply stopped happening!
I later learned this is the Samsung AI power and thermal management software learning and adjusting itself automatically to the way you use your phone. :)

[Prdr]

Subscribed. Exclusively for mentioning international models and for using metric units 🙂

[sydguitar]

I'm very happy you mentioned the display resolution because for some reason a lot of reviewers don't mention what resolution they're testing the phone at